during the River Oaks Garden Club 78th Annual Azalea Trail at 1620 River Oaks Blvd Bayou Bend Gardens at 2940 Lazy Lane at Reinzi located at 1406 Kirby Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Houston.
( James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle ) less

during the River Oaks Garden Club 78th Annual Azalea Trail at 1620 River Oaks Blvd Bayou Bend Gardens at 2940 Lazy Lane at Reinzi located at 1406 Kirby Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Houston.
( James Nielsen / ... more

The lavender-pink tulip magnolias are among the earliest flowers, followed by redbuds and masses of azaleas across the city. In March, the River Oaks Garden Club's Annual Azalea Trail celebrates the popular flowering shrubs with electric magenta, pale pink, coral and white blooms. Perennial highlights on the trail are the 14-acre Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, 6003 Memorial, and 4-acre Rienzi, 1406 Kirby. Both estates are open to the public year-round.

As the azaleas and daffodils fade, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes and pink primroses burst into bloom along roadsides, bayou banks and park trails including those in Memorial Park and the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, 4501 Woodway.

Wildflower watchers also head to Washington County to enjoy sweeping views of the beautiful blooms. The Texas Department of Transportation nurtures 30 wildflower varieties along state highways in its annual reseeding program. For seasonal sightings, see visitbrenhamtexas.com or call TxDot at 800-452-9292.

Among other places to experience flowers and plants:

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The Japanese Garden in Hermann Park, 6000 Fannin, has a definite Texas feel - the land is flat, the pines are straight and tall. Although atypical in these respects, the garden does, as every Japanese garden is intended to do, bring a sense of serenity through sensory experience. The peaceful hideaway features azaleas, cherry trees, crape myrtles, irises, Japanese maples, waterfalls and bridges.

Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble, is a 300-acre showcase with the region's largest collection of native and cultivated plants. Gardeners will find a living library of what to grow at home including fall- and winter-flowering camellias, spring-blooming daylilies, gingers and hot-colored tropicals that tolerate the summer heat.

Peckerwood Garden, 20571 FM 359 in Hempstead, is an exceptional mix of woodland and dry gardens with 3,000 species, among them Southeast and Texas natives and plants from Asia and Mexico. John Fairey's masterpiece landscape is a Garden Conservancy preservation project. The gardens are open six weekends a year and by appointment.

Armand Bayou Nature Center, 8500 Bay Area Blvd. in Pasadena, is a wonderland of prairie, forest and bayou ecosystems. Visitors will find a 5-mile trail, a WaterSmart garden, a heritage garden and prairie interpretive garden.

The 10-story Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens, 1 Hope Blvd. in Galveston, hosts 1,000 species of exotic plants and animals from Africa, Asia and the Americas.